All-Star Craig El Arrested For Stealing From Gymtyme Ga Families

[quitthedrama]

I never said it was an "innocent mistake". I did say "There obviously was a mismanagement of his finances." because I don't know what happened. Neither do you or anyone else on this board. I would like to hear the facts of the case before identifying him as guilty. I also will stand by my comment that "Our prison system is already severely taxed and yet you want to add to it rather than allow a man to make right what is wrong." It's going to awfully difficult to pay back that money while he would be incarcerated.

Since this was a fierceboard thread earlier in the season well before his arrest - with many posts directly from people at the gym, most aren't just going by what the news has presented. Between the DUI and the "alleged" theft, jail time and restitution seem appropriate. I hope he will make amends - he is young and has plenty of time to get his life back on track and pay his customers back.

 

[dat.jpp]

So whats gonna happen to the gym? New owners? Close down? Merge? Go on without an owner?

 

[Cheers4frenchtoast]

Something similar to this happened to a gym I cheered at in the 90's-early 2000's. Comp fees not paid, hotel rooms not paid, flights not paid, etc. It was a horrible situation that left a lot of people in the dark.

 

[luv2cheer92]

So whats gonna happen to the gym? New owners? Close down? Merge? Go on without an owner?

I believe I read that GT GA was returning to C4 Longhorns, not sure about his IL gyms.

 

[SuperSand5]

I believe I read that GT GA was returning to C4 Longhorns, not sure about his IL gyms.

Gymtyme IL has been thriving under new ownership.

 

[#nauticalgal]

1

 

[cheertired]

Agreed GT Illinois is under new ownership.

His Illinois location the Mother Ship UA is the one that will most likely bear the repercussions of bad decisions. It already had before this arrest. Ive had family that Cheered at UA and loved it. They recently lost the majority of their coaches. Bad media has really bad repercussions. They've also lost more than half their gym membership. This story although in the news now is really just a slice of a much bigger cake. For those of us in the area we've been aware of other money issues. that go way back. The owner is a really likeabke person it's just a shame it's come to this.

Agreed. I was on the IOC5 team at UA's mothership location this past year as a way to stay involved in cheer, and you could see the decline prior to all of this becoming public knowledge. I know many of the international athletes had their tuition monies directed to things other than tuition ... I will not go into details for privacy reasons but (lack of) uniforms and (unpaid) competition fees for the international team were a huge issue largely unresolved, due to what has been going on. Our coach was incredible and kept us well-informed, and I know she paid out of pocket for us to compete at at least one event. Just sad to see what it has come to. I wish them the best, but as a first-time athlete at UA, was disheartened to observe the decline.

 

[cheermuse]

Regardless of what his intent was. He mismanaged funds and in turn his customers did not get what they paid for. For that he deserves to deal with consequences of his actions deemed by a jury/judge of his peers. Sounds like this isnt his 1st merry go round, and it now has caught up to him.

Im sure those friends with Bernie Madoff, felt he was a nice person as well and he may have been. Does not take away from the tons of people he duped out of their life savings.

As working parents, cheer-leading as with any sport is not a necessity so when parents invest in their children to participate in a sport, etc. We expect to get what we pay for as with anything that involves $$$/services.

 

[#nauticalgal]

Agreed. I was on the IOC5

 

[KARZCheer]

The issue going forward for this owner is the trust is broken. I would never put my child in any gym he owned or ran at this point. I live pretty close to his Illinois gym. His money issues go way back and many are aware. This is nothing new he just didn't get away with it this time. I feel for the families that are still in his gyms because I'm certain they truly like him. I work way to hard to pay for my daughters Cheer so being in a reputable gym is so important to me. Sad flr sure. I find no happiness watching others pain.

I think the important thing to note from your continual comments on this particular thread is the fact that you (ICECheerMom) have never been a member of Ultimate Athletics and are in fact a member of a gym that is a direct competitor of Ultimate Athletics. For you to continually post rumors as fact, is reprehensible. Every negative comment you have made is based solely on rumors within the cheer community and the fact that you had an extended family member who cheered there a DECADE ago does not deem you all knowing of all things UA and it's apparent that your sole purpose is to further smear the gym even more. Your negativity and lack of actual FACTS actually paints your own gym in a negative light, being that your screen name here makes you appear to be a representative of your gym. Let's be honest, I could sit here and type up a 10 paragraph post full of rumors about YOUR gym and all of the negative rumors that are spread about your gym. But I do have a bit more class than that and I also have no desire to smear your gym in the public media because it serves zero purpose other than to hurt the kids that are members of your gym.

One fact you do not seem to know about is that Craig is NOT the majority owner of Ultimate Athletics and hasn't been since the end of last season. He does not have financial control over UA. You didn't know that, now did you? He doesn't "run" it either. Sure, the cheer World knows him as the figure head of UA and that does paint us in a negative light currently, in light of his current legal difficulties and our gym will weather that as needed but please stop spewing false information as if you are all knowing of the happenings of a gym you have never even been a member of. You say you feel for the families, if that were true, you wouldn't continue to perpetuate the rumors within this thread and on other social media outlets. I find it disheartening that you would choose to passive/aggressively feign compassion for the families at UA all while perpetuating the rumors even more with your condescending opinion for which you literally have zero facts or experience with, which in turn gets people talking and scared and does directly affect the children at UA. I do believe I can speak for all current UA families when I say, we do not need nor want your fake pity. We still have a fabulous coaching staff that has actually brought a renewed energy to the gym already this season

As far as Craig's current legal issues, that is for the court system to resolve. If he is guilty, that will be decided. Just because he is charged, does not make him instantly guilty. I prefer to wait to see what evidence is presented and how the court system decides to handle the case, not try it on social media based on a bunch of BS opinions or people. Just as people in GA make claims of theft, people in IL can make claims of compassion and giving. I'll bet there were people in GA who realized compassion too. None of us are truly privy to what happened there, who was managing the books and what families were paying their monthly fees and who wasn't. I certainly am not privy to any of that information neither are you. Sure, my family adores Craig and he has done so much for my children. He is a man who I can say is truly there for the kids, and you just cannot say that about a lot of people in this industry. For most, it is obvious that it is about the almighty dollar. We choose to support him, not kick him while he is down. That is what family does!

 

[dat.jpp]

welp... this just took a sharp a$$ turn...

 

[cheer25mom]

@KARZCheer, I do t have any stake in this, so here is the way I see it as an outsider:

While I appreciate that you are trying to be loyal, I think you might have a different opinion if you were one of the parents who had been fleeced. They is PLENTY of evidence that these parents did not get what they paid for, regardless of what anyone else is saying. We know for a fact their comp fees didn't get paid, and their money was not returned. There is a UA athlete here saying that they experienced the same thing there as well. The Georgia gym is under new ownership, and UA has lost many coaches and athletes as a readily. While I think its admirable that you are loyal to your gym, I think it's clear that there was a serious problem.


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[KARZCheer]

@KARZCheer, I do t have any stake in this, so here is the way I see it as an outsider:

While I appreciate that you are trying to be loyal, I think you might have a different opinion if you were one of the parents who had been fleeced. They is PLENTY of evidence that these parents did not get what they paid for, regardless of what anyone else is saying. We know for a fact their comp fees didn't get paid, and their money was not returned. There is a UA athlete here saying that they experienced the same thing there as well. The Georgia gym is under new ownership, and UA has lost many coaches and athletes as a readily. While I think its admirable that you are loyal to your gym, I think it's clear that there was a serious problem.


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cheer25mom, I am 100% sure I would be livid had I paid fees for something I did not receive, you are certainly correct on that notation. I didn't feign guilt nor innocence but rather stated I wish to wait and see how the courts decide. My point being it isn't up to me to decide. But I completely understand why people think the way they do about the legal situation. I honestly do Yes, the GA gym is under it's former ownership from what I heard (rumor though, I am not verifying that as I have zero direct knowledge of that) and the IL gym is under new ownership as well (not a rumor as I have read direct correspondence from owners regarding that) and I sincerely hope that they both have wonderful seasons as I would never wish to bring discord to another gym simply because the ones most hurt, are always the athletes.
In all honesty, my post was 95% about the fear mongering and rumor spreading by a parent from a competing local gym. Par for the course here in crazy Illinois I suppose. Cheer25mom, thank you for being kind in verbalizing your disagreement, I appreciate that.

 

[MzLyn23]

welp... this just took a sharp a$$ turn...

Popcorn?


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[dat.jpp]

Popcorn?


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make that a large popcorn and a large coke please?